The new formulation will have Guides promise to ‘be true to myself and develop my beliefs’, in place of the previous formulation to ‘love God’. It is the twelfth amendment to the Promise in guiding history, but the first version to open guiding up fully to non-religious girls.

BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson said, ‘We wholeheartedly welcome the progressive step that Girlguiding have taken today of making their movement genuinely open to all, including the large number of girls and young women who don’t believe in any god. We welcome the fact that the new Promise is about personal integrity and ongoing and active self-reflection, both of which sit well alongside a sense of responsibility to others and to the community. Unlike its predecessor, this is a Promise that is inclusive of all girls and young women whether religious or non-religious.

‘Girlguiding is the leading charity for girls and young women in the UK so today’s decision is hugely significant. Their initiative sends out a strong signal that young people who do not see themselves as belonging to any religion have values that are worthy of respect and should be explicitly welcomed and catered for in any activity that seeks to be genuinely inclusive. We were delighted to play our own part in helping to bring this positive change about.’

The new Promise will take effect from September.

Notes

For further comment or information contact BHA Chief Executive Andrew Copson on 07855 380633 or at andrew@humanism.org.uk.

The BHA is the national charity working on behalf of ethically concerned, non-religious people in the UK. It is the largest organisation in the UK campaigning for an end to religious privilege and to discrimination based on religion or belief, and for a secular state.

Girlguiding was one of the last major non-religious membership organisations in the UK to discriminate on grounds of religion and the ending of this exclusion is a remarkable event.

In 2006 and 2010, the Guides were granted an exemption from the Equality Act in order to allow them to continue to require their members to make a religiously discriminatory Promise excluding non-religious young people not believing in a god. The BHA led the campaign in both years to try to remove this exemption, working with the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group.

Before 2006 the BHA had long campaigned in favour of the Guides changing their Promise to be inclusive and requests for help and advice from parents encountering this problem with the Guides have remained one of the largest single categories of correspondence received by the BHA each year.

The BHA responded to the Girlguiding consultation and met with Girlguiding staff leading up to today’s announcement. Read the BHA’s response: http://humanism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/BHA-response-to-the-Girlguiding-UK-promise-consultation.pdf

The post Humanists welcome Girlguiding inclusion of non-religious appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Yesterday also saw APPHG Vice Chair Baroness Massey of Darwen ask an oral question in the House of Lords, ‘To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the report by Ofsted Not Yet Good Enough: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education in Schools, published on 1 May.’ During the brief debate that followed a number of peers voiced agreement with the conclusion of Ofsted’s report that more needs to be done to improve PSHE, with Baroness Massey also calling for its addition to the national curriculum.

BHA Education Campaigner Richy Thompson commented, ‘It is vital that all young people receive full and comprehensive PSHE and sex and relationships education, as the evidence shows that this means young people start having relationships later, makes those relationships more likely to be consensual, and improves sexual health.

‘It’s disappointing to see continued opposition to adding PSHE to the national curriculum – something which had cross-party support in 2010, and only didn’t become law because the plans were not passed before the general election. However, it is heartening to see the huge support that these proposals have had over the past week from the Labour Party, many non-governmental organisations and in the media. This remains a question of “when” and not “if”. Our mission then is to make this a reality as soon as possible, in order to start improving outcomes for young people.’

Notes

For further comment or information, please contact Richy Thompson on 020 7324 3072.

Read more about the Coalition of Consent: http://obruk.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/consent-to-consent-supporters-briefing.pdf

Read the amendment: http://obruk.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/text-of-new-clause-20.pdf

Read the debate in the Commons: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130611/debtext/130611-0003.htm#sbhd_3

Read the debate in the Lords: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201314/ldhansrd/text/130611-0001.htm#130611-0001.htm_Com4

Read the previous BHA news item, ‘BHA welcomes Ofsted report highlighting need for improvements in PSHE’, 1 May 2013: http://humanism.org.uk/2013/05/01/bha-welcomes-ofsted-report-highlighting-need-for-improvements-in-pshe/

Read more about the BHA’s campaigns work on PSHE and Sex and Relationships Education: http://humanism.org.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/pshe-and-sex-and-relationships-education/

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief. The BHA contributes to debate on a wide range of ethical issues from stem cell research to sex education. The BHA is a member of the National Children’s Bureau Sex Education Forum (SEF) and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England.

The post MPs vote against adding PSHE to the national curriculum appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Roy Brown, representing both the BHA and IHEU, made a speech in support of atheist bloggers in Bangladesh.  He described the situation in the country, where Islamist groups are calling on the government to execute 84 atheist bloggers for ‘insulting Islam’.  Several atheist bloggers have already been arrested, and a government official has promised to pursue all 84 bloggers on the list.  Mr Brown defended the bloggers’ freedom of expression, and pointed out that the government’s actions in caving into the Islamists’ demands conflict with their obligations under international law.  Mr Brown also highlighted the case of Sattar Baheshti in Iran, a blogger criticial of the Iranian regime, who died four days after being arrested after being tortured in Evin Prison.

Mr Brown criticised members of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) which apply the death penalty for apostasy.  He called on the government of Bangladesh to release the atheist bloggers immediately, for the government of Iran to immediately cease all harassment, torture and murder of bloggers, and for all OIC member states to recognise their responsibilities under international law to respect freedom of opinion, expression and religion.

Elizabeth O’Casey, speaking of behalf of the Center for Inquiry and IHEU, also raised the issue of torture in Iran.  She described how torture is systematic state policy in Iran, and that this is contrary to the country’s obligations under international law.  Kacem El Ghazali, speaking on behalf of IHEU, condemned the persecution of atheists in Morocco.  He described the various restrictions on freedom of expression in the country, such as a recent fatwa by the Higher Council of Religious Scholars (a government institution led by the King) which states that Muslims who reject their faith ‘should be condemned to death.’  He urged the government of Morocco and King Mohammed VI to rule as unlawful any fatwa from this council which breaches Morocco’s obligations under international law.

Notes

For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs, at pavan@humanism.org.uk or on 0773 843 5059.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union: http://iheu.org/

The Center for Inquiry: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/

The UN Human Rights Council: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/HRCIndex.aspx

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The post Humanists criticise human rights abuses in Morocco, Bangladesh and Iran appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Sir Terry Pratchett OBE this weekend received an award in recognition of his services to Humanism at the annual conference of the British Humanist Association (BHA) in a ceremony held at the Leeds City Museum.

The BHA has a tradition of recognising the significant contributions people make every day to support those with no religion. The Services to Humanism award was established to highlight the work of individuals who campaign, who support our work in education, who extend thinking in the field of Humanism, and who challenge the privilege that religious organisations hold in society.

Sir Terry Pratchett is an internationally renowned writer whose books have sold over 85 million copies worldwide in 37 languages. Through his extensive body of work he has challenged and changed the way a generation thinks about the universe, heroism, and story-telling. It is for this but also for his personal fortitude and the example he has set – very publicly – of how a humanist deals with life’s darker times that the BHA recognises Sir Terry with the 2013 award for Services to Humanism. He has turned his personal suffering into a positive campaign: firstly to fund greater research into Alzheimer’s disease and secondly for the right to die with dignity. He has had an enormous impact on the public debate around that issue and showcased humanist values in doing so.

Terry joins the ranks of formidable humanists who have received previous BHA awards, including biologist Richard Dawkins, author Phillip Pullman, Journalist Polly Toynbee, Nigerian human rights activist Leo Igwe, evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley, and philosopher A J Ayer.

The post Terry Pratchett receives 2013 Services to Humanism Award appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Faith in the Community urges local authority officials to overcome an alleged suspicion towards religious groups who would like to provide public services.  The report laments an alleged ‘widespread religious illiteracy in many public institutions’, and complains about ‘an increase in the secularist temperament of formal institutions’ at the national and local levels.  The report also rejects as ‘unsubstantiated fears’ the concern that religious groups might use public service contracts to proselytise, to discriminate against certain groups of service users (such as LGBT people), and to provide benefits only for their own communities.

However, the idea that local authorities are suspicious of religious service providers is contradicted by new research conducted by the Church Times, which shows that a fifth of local authorities are spending money allocated to help people in crisis on church groups, in order to fund services such as food banks.  The Church Times’ research focuses on how local authorities are planning to spend the Local Welfare Provision (LWP) money allocated to them by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2013-14.  The research found that one local authority, Medway Council in Kent, has even transferred its entire LWP budget to a church-based group.

Pavan Dhaliwal, BHA Head of Public Affairs, commented ‘When religious groups take on roles that would previously have been provided by secular organisations, this threatens the secular nature of the welfare state, and raises the possibility of discrimination in public services.  This is because the exemptions in the Equality Act 2010 enable religious organisations which provide public services to discriminate on the grounds of religion and belief.’

‘We need secular public services which cater for everyone regardless of their religion or belief, and which treat people equally.  But if more faith-based organisations start to take over public services, as advocated in the Faith in the Community report, there is a danger that religious discrimination will start to creep in to the system.  Before any public services are outsourced to religious organisations, there must be statutory rules introduced to protect all clients and employees of public services from discrimination.’

Notes

For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs at pavan@humanism.org.uk or on 0773 843 5059.

The Evangelical Alliance – Faith in the Community: http://www.eauk.org/current-affairs/news/faith-in-the-community.cfm

The Church Times – Crisis cash goes to church projects: http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2013/7-june/news/uk/crisis-cash-goes-to-church-projects

BHA raises concerns over Cameron speech on faith and the ‘Big Society’: http://humanism.org.uk/2012/11/01/news-1136/

Concerns over new Archbishop’s desire for Church role in welfare services: http://humanism.org.uk/2013/02/04/concerns-over-new-archbishops-desire-for-church-role-in-welfare-services/

The BHA’s campaign on public service reform: http://www.humanism.org.uk/campaigns/public-service-reform

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief

The post BHA raises concerns over Faith in the Community report appeared first on British Humanist Association.

All state-funded schools should be open to all children, regardless of their parents’ religion. That’s the message of the Fair Admissions Campaign, a new, widely supported campaign which has launched today, with the British Humanist Association (BHA) as a founding member. It seeks to bring equity to a system that should be a beacon of fairness, yet is mired in discrimination. The campaign focuses solely on the issue of religious selection in admissions in state schools in England and Wales, and its consequences in terms of religious, racial and ethnic, and social and economic segregation.

Welcoming the launch, Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the BHA, commented ‘Again and again the public have expressed their opposition to discriminatory school admissions. One survey carried out last year showed that public opposition was as great as four to one. It’s time that the reality caught up with popular opinion and religious selection is consigned to history.’

Professor Ted Cantle CBE is the founder of the Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo) and author of ‘The Cantle Report’, commissioned and published by the Home Office after 2001’s summer of race riots. Supporting the launch of the campaign, Professor Cantle commented, ‘One of the key issues which the world now faces is “how we live together in an era of globalised and diverse communities?” It must be clear – especially from recent events – that so many of the tensions and conflicts in the UK and elsewhere are based upon faith and ethnic divisions. Our communities remain riven by the differences which we should be learning to set aside. Religiously selective schools cannot of course be held solely responsible for these problems, but they do underpin a system in which children learn that they are “different” and in which everyday contact is denied. They do not build friendships with “others” and the separation of children within schools reinforces wider divisions, as parents do not meet at the school gate and families are not drawn together through shared sporting and cultural events.’

The BHA’s position on ‘faith’ schools and admissions

The BHA does not believe that the state should fund religious schools at all. We believe that religious discrimination in admissions and employment is wrong and that schools should not bring children up in a particular religion when they are too young to make up their own minds on such matters. Nor is it fair when a child is sent to a religious school against their parents’ wishes. We think all this is especially objectionable given the involvement of state funds. If faith-based admissions policies, employment policies and curricula were to cease, then we would not see the point in faith groups continuing to run schools at all, as it would only lead to risks of institutional proselytising. We will continue to work to tackle all these areas, with our dedicated campaigner against ‘faith’ schools leading the efforts.

However, we are happy to support this narrower campaign on just this one key issue, first of all because it furthers our aims of ending religious discrimination and segregation in state schools; and secondly because we know how important this particular topic is. We know this from the large numbers of you who contact us feeling discriminated against when you are unable to get your children into your local school, or the best school in your area, as a result of faith-based admissions policies. 73% of the public agree that this practice is wrong. It is time we put a stop to it.

Notes

For further comment please contact BHA Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal on 07738 435 059, or email info@fairadmissions.org.uk.

Visit the Fair Admissions Campaign website at http://fairadmissions.org.uk/

More information about the issue of socio-economic selection can be found on its ‘Why is this an issue?’ (http://fairadmissions.org.uk/why-is-this-an-issue/) and ‘FAQs’ (http://fairadmissions.org.uk/why-is-this-an-issue/faqs/) pages.

The Campaign is already being supported by the Accord Coalition, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the British Humanist Association, British Muslims for Secular Democracy, Professor Ted Cantle CBE and the iCoCo Foundation, the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, the Christian think tank Ekklesia, the Hindu Academy, the Liberal Democrat Education Association, Richmond Inclusive Schools Campaign, the Runnymede Trust, the Socialist Educational Association (affiliated to the Labour Party), and the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.

The Campaign aims to provide support and advice to parents and carers who have been discriminated against because of the existing school system – unable to get their children into their local school or the best school in their area without resorting to gaming the system. As well as providing this advice, the Campaign offers a range of ways that individuals will be able to get involved, for example by forming local campaign groups and challenging admissions policies at the schools adjudicator.

The Campaign is led by a steering group whose members currently include the Accord Coalition, the BHA, Ted Cantle and RISC.

Read Dan Roseburg and Raj Desai’s paper: http://fairadmissions.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2013_Ed_Law_93.pdf

View the top-level data on socio-economic selection by type of school: http://fairadmissions.org.uk/schools-map/

The Fair Admissions Campaign wants all state-funded schools in England and Wales to be open equally to all children, without regard to religion or belief. The Campaign is supported by a wide coalition of individuals and national and local organisations. We hold diverse views on whether or not the state should fund faith schools. But we all believe that faith-based discrimination in access to schools that are funded by the taxpayer is wrong in principle and a cause of religious, ethnic, and socio-economic segregation, all of which are harmful to community cohesion. It is time it stopped.

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The post BHA backs launch of Fair Admissions Campaign appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Hannah Bock, speaking on behalf of the BHA, described the cruelty involved in restrictions on abortion.  She also highlighted the role of the Catholic Church and religious fundamentalists in running anti-abortion campaigns which have led to these restrictions.  She described the situation in various countries where abortion is heavily restricted, such as Malta, where women have no right to an abortion at all, and Nicaragua, where abortions are not allowed even in the case of ectopic pregnancies (which kill both mother and child if allowed to proceed to term).  She urged the Council ‘to make it clear that legal and administrative obstacles that restrict access to contraception, and that deny a woman’s right to an abortion, especially after being raped or when her life is at risk, are utterly abhorrent to this Council.’

Roy Brown, speaking for IHEU, criticised inhuman and degrading punishments administered in member states of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).  Mr Brown pointed out that the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) states that ‘no-one shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’, but that several OIC member states still use punishments which fit this description, including public executions.  For example, in Saudi Arabia last month, five Yemeni men were publicly beheaded and their bodies were displayed in public.  Mr Brown called on the OIC to condemn public executions and physical mutilation, to abolish the imaginary offence of witchcraft, and to implement a moratorium on the death penalty.

Elizabeth O’Casey, speaking for the Center for Inquiry, condemned the practice of honour killing and the impunity often granted to the perpetrators.  There are estimated to be between 5,000 and 20,000 honour killings committed every year, and she described how ‘this barbaric practice is justified on cultural and religious grounds’.  She also called on UN member states ‘to do more to protect women from this sort of violence, to punish those who commit it, and to condemn the culture of impunity and religious justification, which not only allows, but encourages, such barbarity’.

Notes

For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs, at pavan@humanism.org.uk or on 0773 843 5059.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union: http://iheu.org/

The Center for Inquiry: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/

The UN Human Rights Council: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/HRCIndex.aspx

Human Rights Council concludes general debate on the thematic reports and promotion and protection of all human rights:

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=13403&LangID=E

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The post Humanist delegations speak out against human rights abuses in UN debate appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Pavan Dhaliwal, BHA Head of Public Affairs, commented ‘It is a reasonable ask for the law covering the welfare of animals at time of slaughter to be humane and aim to reduce as far as possible the pain, suffering and distress of the animal. The exemptions afforded to religious groups to allow for slaughter of animals without pre-stunning undoubtedly contradicts that principle so we are disappointed with the Defra response. We have always supported the recommendations of the Farm Animal Welfare Council that slaughter without pre-stunning is unacceptable and that the Government should repeal the current exemption.

‘There is no reason why this Government cannot work with the religious communities concerned to seek ways of slaughtering animals in accordance with religious rules but that require that animals are properly stunned before they are slaughtered so as to minimise pain and distress. Bans on slaughter without pre-stunning have worked well in other countries without harming religious freedoms or community relations.’

Notes

For further comment or information, contact Pavan Dhaliwal at pavan@humanism.org.uk or 0207 079 3585

Read our response to the Defra consultation: http://humanism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/1bha-response-to-defra-on-ritual-killing-10.12-final.doc

Read Defra’s response to the consultation: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203563/sum-resp-animal-welfare-time-killing-20130529.pdf

The British Humanist Association (BHA) is the national charity representing and supporting the non-religious and campaigning for an end to religious privilege and discrimination based on religion or belief. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The post Defra publishes response to religious slaughter consultation appeared first on British Humanist Association.

The call follows a debate last month in the Northern Ireland Assembly on scrapping the law allowing such discrimination to take place, which saw the Ulster Unionist Party, Sinn Fein, Democratic Unionist Party and Alliance Party all support the repealing of the law. A subsequent letter calling for the same thing was widely signed, and now the CCMS’s chief executive has told the education committee that ‘We are in agreement that FETO (Fair Employment and Treatment Order, Teachers’ Exemption) should go.’ The CCMS has also described the law as ‘abhorrent’.

Northern Ireland is not unique in allowing such religious discrimination to occur. Denominational schools in Scotland and ‘faith’ schools in England and Wales can also religiously select staff on the basis of faith – with most religious schools being able to do so for all teaching staff. This is possible due to an exception to the Equality Act 2010. However, the BHA believes that this exception breaks the European Employment Directive, which should limit such discrimination to where there is ‘a genuine, legitimate and justified occupational requirement’.

The BHA introduced amendments during the passage of the Education Act 2011 to try to stop that bill from expanding such discrimination.

BHA Faith Schools Campaigner Richy Thompson commented, ‘We welcome the debate on ending religious discrimination in employment at “faith” schools in Northern Ireland, and the widespread political support for such a change. We are also pleased to see the Catholic school sector decide to throw its support behind such changes.

‘We hope that the Catholic Education Services in England and Wales and in Scotland soon catch up to the Northern Irish body and instead join us in calling for the – potentially illegal – laws allowing such discrimination here to also be scrapped.’

Notes

For further comment or information, please contact Richy Thompson on 020 7324 3072.

Read yesterday’s Belfast Telegraph piece on the CCMS: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/catholic-sector-wants-teacher-job-bias-law-dumped-29307686.html

Read last month’s Northern Ireland assembly debate: http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Assembly-Business/Official-Report/Reports-12-13/22-April-2013/#4

Read the open letter supporting the scrapping of the law: http://humanism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Teacher-exception-open-letter-to-MLAs-with-signatories-24-April-2013.docx

Read more about the BHA’s campaigns work on ‘faith’ schools: http://www.humanism.org.uk/campaigns/religion-and-schools/faith-schools

View the BHA’s table of types of school with a religious character: http://www.humanism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/schools-with-a-religious-character.pdf

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The post Northern Ireland’s Catholic schools call for end to faith-based school employment laws appeared first on British Humanist Association.

Lillian Ladele was a registrar who worked for Islington Council but refused to conduct same-sex civil partnerships because of her religion. Gary McFarlane was a relationship counsellor at Relate but refused to treat gay couples equally with straight ones because of his religion. Shirley Chaplin was a nurse working for Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Hospital who refused an offer of wearing her cross on a pin and demanded to wear it on a chain, in spite of her employer saying this was dangerous.

As a consequence, all three were disciplined or dismissed from their jobs, and all three subsequently challenged these decisions in the UK courts. All three lost successive court challenges in the UK until ultimately they appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. In January they also lost at the ECtHR, but all three announced that they would appeal the decision to the Grand Chamber. The ECtHR has now refused to hear their appeals.

BHA Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal commented, ‘We welcome the European Court on Human Rights’ decision to refuse to hear appeals in the cases of Ladele, McFarlane and Chaplin. The only reason these cases have continued for so long is because of a determined lobby seeking to whip up a narrative of “Christian persecution”. However, this narrative is detached from the reality of simply trying to guarantee fair treatment for all, regardless of sexual orientation, and reasonable standards of health and safety.

‘Of course religious beliefs should be accommodated by our laws and society, but not when those beliefs impinge upon the rights and freedoms of others, and that is what these cases sought to do. We hope that society can now move on and focus on more pressing concerns.’

Notes

For comment please contact BHA Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal on 0773 843 5059 or at pavan@humanism.org.uk.

Read the ECtHR’s full judgement from January: http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/webservices/content/pdf/001-115881

Read the BHA’s previous press release: http://humanism.org.uk/2013/01/15/bha-applauds-european-court-of-human-rights-in-upholding-equality-and-human-rights-principles-against-false-christian-persecution-cases/

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

The post European Court of Human Rights refuses to hear appeals in three ‘Christian persecution’ cases appeared first on British Humanist Association.